Steam-cooker.



PATENTED AUG. 25, 1903.-

A. M; AMOS STEAM COOKER. APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 19} 1901.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1..

N0 MODEL.

No.737,19 3. PATENTBD AUG.25,1903

A. M. Amos.

STEAM COOKER.

APPLIOATIPN TILED mm; 19, 1901.

1&0 MODEL 8 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No. 737,193. I I PATENTED AUG. 25; 1903.

A. M. AMOS. STEAM 000x33.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19, 1901.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

' N0 MODEL. 1

. invemu orf j v fij UNITED STATES Patented August 25, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE- STEAM-COOKER.

SPEQIFIOATION forming part of Letters latent No. 737,193, dated August25, 1903.

A pplicatiou filed June 19,1901.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER M. AMos, a citizen of the'United. States,residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Steam-Cookers, of which'thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates more particularly to steam-cookers which aredivided into a num-' ber of separate compartments by removable;

horizontal disks or diaphragms and which are provided with afilling-tube for supplying water to the cooker, a low-water signal forautomatically giving an alarm when the cooker requires to bereplenished'with water, and a steam-exit or vent-tube leading from thetop to the bottom of the cooker for" conducting the" steam and cookingvapors into the fireplace of the stove. Acooker of this character isshown and described in Letters Patent of the United- States, No.566,884, granted to me September;

One of the objects of my presentinvention is the provision of a simpleand inexpensive joint between the steam-vent tube and the cooker-bodywhich. is unaffected by heat, so .as to avoid the leakage anddestruction of the joint'liable to occur by the use of a soldered joint,especially when the cooker is carelessly allowed to boil dry.

My invention has the further objects to provide the cooker with animproved signal-.

whistle which gives aloud alarm, to render the valve of the steam-venttube simple in construction and reliable in action, and to improve theconstruction of the cooker in other" respects. I

In the accompanying drawings, consisting of three sheets, Figure 1 is anelevation of my improved cooker viewed from the side at which thefilling and steam-escape tubes are strain). 65.135. on model.)

tube'is applied, the'latte'r being omitted.

enlarged scale. Fig. 10 is a transverse ver- Fig. 14 is an enlargedfragmentary vertical section of the cooker, taken through thefilling-tube." Fig. 15 is a fragmentary vertical section similar to theupperportion of Fig. 9, showing-a modified construction of the steamexitvalve.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

A is the body of the cooker, which is preferably flared upward, asshow-n, and provided with the usual internal beads or shoulders at forsupporting the removable division-plates or diaphragms B B B All ofthese diaphragms excepting the lowermost one are preferably providedwith a'n' upwardlyex tending marginal rim 1), having at its upper edgeapr'ojecting bead b, which rests upon at its upper edge with rings 19 orother's'uitable means for removing the' same. from the cooker. Thediaphragms are provided in their bottom with steam openings or passagesb which are surrounded. by the usual up wardly extending collars orguards b, which prevent the water of condensation from dripping throughthe openings upon the victuals in the compartment next below. As thiswater of condensation cannot escape over the edge of the diaphragm byreason of the rim b, it is necessary to provide the diaphragm withsuitable drain-openings, and for this purpose each diaphragm is formedin its bottom adjacent to its rim with openings b -These openings arepreferably provided with deflecting lips or troughs 19 which extenddownwardly and outwardly from the inner edges thereof, so as to directthe water of condensation toward the'wall of the cooker and cause thesame to fiow down the same, thereby preventingthe water from coming incontact with the Victuals and alsopreventing the water from. tricklingalong the under side of the diaphragm toward its center and droppingupon the food below, which it would otherwise be apt to do, owing to thetendency of the diaphragm to sag slightly at the center. Thedrain-openings and their lips Z) are preferably formed by simply cuttingslits in the diaphragm and depressing the metal immed iately behind theslits below the surface of the diaphragm, as shown.

C is the filling-tube, arranged on the outer side of the cooker-body andextending nearly to the bottom thereof. The lower end of this tubecommunicates with the steam-generatin g chamber 1), while its upper endis provided with a suitably-inclined spout 0, into which the water ispoured. The front and side walls and the closed lower end of thisfilling.- tube are preferably stamped integral with the cooker-body, asshown, and its open inner side isclosed by a plate 0, which is solderedor otherwise secured to the wall of the cooker, as shown in Figs. 2 and5. The coveringplate 0' extends from the upper end of the filling-tubenearly to its lower end, so as to leave an opening by which the tubecommunicates with the generating-chamber D. The outer portion of thespout c, which is preferably cylindrical, as shown, is normally closedby a hinged plug or disk 6, which bears against the inner side of aninternal annular bead, shoulder, or stop 6, formed near the outer end ofthe spout, as shown in Figs. 5 and 14. This plug is secured to atransverse roclcshaft c journaled at the upper end of the spout andhaving a cranked handle for turning it, as shown in Fig. 1. The hingedplug is free to swinginwardly and is yieldingly held in its closedposition by a suitable spring. In the construction shown in the drawingsa spring 6 is applied to the rockshaft, which tends to close the plugagainst the stop 0. The plug is preferably provided on its outer sidewith guards or projections e, which extend outwardly beyond the facethereof and against which the end of the tea-kettle spout is adapted tobear in filling the cooker, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 5. Byproviding the plug with such guards or projections the plug is partiallyopened immediately upon pressing the spout against the project-ions andbefore the kettlespout is inclined suiiieiently to deliver the water,thus permitting the water to freely enter the spout and avoidingspilling of the water, which would be liable to take place if theplughad no such guards and the spout came in direct contact therewith. Theseprojections preferably consist of a pair of in verted U -shaped barsformed of wire. These bars are substantially parallel with each otherand the space between the same is son1ewhat less than the greatestdiameter of the nose of the spout, so that the spout is allowed to entera short distance between the bars, but not far enough to bear againstthe plug, thus insuring a free passage for the water between the end ofthe spout and the plug. The guards c" are preferably arranged in avertical plane, and the plug is located a short distance inwardly fromthe edge of the fillingspout, as shown, to form a projecting rim aroundthe plug. By this construction the guards center the kettle-spout andprevent the same from slipping laterally, while the projecting lowerportion of the filling-spout forms a rest for the kettle-spout whichprevents the same from slipping downward out of engagement with theguards, thereby effectually guarding against spilling water in fillingthe cooker.

F is a whistle tube or chamber preferably arranged horizontally on theouter side of the cooker-body, near the top thereof, and communicatingat one end with. the adjacent portion of the filling-tube C, while itsother end is closed. This whistle-tube is provided in its outer wallbetween its ends with an aperture f, forming the whistle-opmiing. f is adeflecting -lip which extends obliquely across the whistle-tube from apoint near the filling-tube C to a point opposite the front edge of saidopening, shown in Fig. 5, so as to direct the steam which enters thefront end of the Whistle-tube against the rear edge of the whistleopening for producing an alarm. The whistle tube is preferably stamped in onepiece with the cooker-body, and its inner side is closed by platesf f,soldered or otherwise secured to the inner side of the body, as shown inFig. 5. construction and arrangement of the whistle tube the same has alarge capacity and contains a comparatively large volume of air,

producing a correspondingly-loud alarm,

which is an especially desirable feature, as it has been found byexperience that unless the alarm is quite loud the signal is apt to beunheeded and the cooker allowed to boil. dry, destroying the joints andproducing leakage. The whistle tube is provided in its bottom with adrain-openingf' for the escape of the water resulting from thecondensation of the steam, and the tube is inclined toward this opening,as shown. This drain-opening is arranged near the rear portion of thedeflecting-plate f and on the rear side thereof, so that the steamcannot escape directly through said opening, but is compelled to actupon the edge of the whistle-aperture before reach ing the same. A cupis arranged on the cooker under the drain-opening f to catch thedrainage therefrom. By stamping the greater portion of the filling-tubeand the whistle-tube integral withthe cooker-body the number of jointsand the liability to leakage is reduced and the cost of the cooker isreduced in the same measure.

By this IIO Gr is the steam-exit or vent-tube extending interlockinglips or flcnges g, which are located at the back of the tube, preferablyat or near one of its lateral edges, as shownin Figs. 6 and 7.

h is the usual vertical seam of the cookerbody. The portion of the bodyforming the outer part of this seam or joint is provided with a wing orextension h, which projects a short distance beyond the seain and isformed with a lip or flange 71 as shown in Fig. 6. The interlockingflanges g of the steam-tube are interlocked orinterseamed with theflange of the extension h, as shown in Fig. 6, thereby firmly securingthe tube to the cooker-body and forming a reliable and solderless jointwhich is unaffected by the heat, and therefore not liable to open andcause leakage in case the attendant should neglect to replenish thecooker with water when necessary. In order to produce a sightly finish,the cooker-body is formed at both edges of the steam-tube with her.

raised vertical beads j, as shown. In attachin g the steam-tube to thebody its flanges are loosely engaged with each other and these flangesare then interlocked with the flange of the body by sliding the tubeendwise on ceals the usual seam of the cooker-body, giv-:

ing the same the appearance of being formed of a solider continuouspiece. The steamtube is provided at its lower end with an elbowshapedextension 70, which extends underneath the cooker-bottom and is seatedin a recess formed in the under side. of. the latter, so that the underside of this tube extension is fiush with'the bottom of the cooker. Theinner end of this tube extension is open for conducting the steam andcooking-vapors into the fire-pot of the stove. The cookerbottom ispreferably provided in its under side with an annular or othersuitably-shaped groove or depression k which communicates with the tubeextension it, as shown inFigs. i and 10, and forms a steam-confiningchamstove without removing the stove-lid, the

bottom of this groove is closed by the top of.

the stove and the steam retained therein. Any steam entering saidchamber under these circumstances is by this means superheated and driedup and the cooking-vapors are largely destroyed.

L is the cap or enlargement arranged at the upper end of the steam-tubeand communicating with the latter, and M the spout or casing arranged inthis enlargement and communicating at its lower end with the interior ofthe cooker by the usual ventopening m. m is the escape-opening. formedin When the cooker is placed upon the.

ing m is preferably provided with an upwardly-projecting rim n, whichforms a comparatively sharp -edged valve-seat. The valve N consists of aflat plate which rests loosely upon this sharp-edged seat and which isguided by vertical rods n secured openings of the rods '21 maybeprovided with do'wnwardly-projecting rims 0 0 forming sharp-edged stopswhich prevent the platevalve from seating against the flat under side ofthe upper bracket 0. By this construction the valve is not liable tostick to its seat orto the upper bracket in case the rims of theopenings 0 0 should become coated with grease. If desired, the valve maybe provided with a single guide-rod n secured centrally thereto andpassing through thesteam-passage of the case M, as shown in Fig. 15. Inthis case the upper bracket 0 is provided with a single centralguide-opening for the rod andthe lower bracket 0 of the rod is suitablysecured within the case M. The cap L also serves as a reinforcement forthe body-seam of the cooker, which prevents the same from spreading incase the cover should be violently or excessively forced down into thecooker. If desired, the plug emay be opened by hand by means of thecrank-shaft e for pouring water into the filling-tube C from a pitch eror other suitable vessel.

In the use ofthe cooker a sufficient quan-.

as it cannot escape from the'latter past the. plug 6 it issues throughthe whistle-opening f, thereby sounding the whistle and giving thelow-water alarm.

I claim as my invention- 'l. The combination with the steam-generatin gchamber of a steam-cooker, of an upright filling-tube extending alongthe side of the cooker and having its front, sides andclosed lower endstamped integral with. the cooker-body, a whistle-tube extending fromone side of said filling-tube and having its The valve N checks theescape of the When the aperture 0 becomes front, sides and closed rearend stamped integral with the cookerbody, and a covering plate or platesapplied to the open inner sides of said filling and whistle tubes andsecured to the cooker-body, substantially as set forth.

2. In a steam-cooker, the combination of the steam-generatin g chamber,a filling-tube arranged at one side of the cooker and communicating withsaid chamber, said tube bein g provided at its upper end with aninclined spout, an inward]y-opening plug arranged in said spout andprovided on its front side with a pair of opposing centering-guardsadapted to receive the end of a kettle-spout between them, and means foryieldingly holding the plug in its closed position, substantially as setforth.

3. In a steam-cooker, the combination of the steam-generating chamber, afilling-tube arranged at one side of the cooker and communicating withsaid chamber, said tube being provided at its upper end with an inclinedspout, an inwardly-opening plug arranged in said spout at a distancefrom its outer edge and provided on its front side with a pair ofopposing guards arranged in a vertical plane and adapted to receive theend of a kettlespout between them, and means for yieldingly holding theplug in its closed position, substantially as set forth.

4. In a steam-cooker, the combination of the steanrgenerating chamber, afilling-tube arranged at one side of the cooker and communieatin g withsaid chamber, said tube being provided at its upper end with a spout, aninwardly-opening plug arranged in said spout and provided on its frontside with a pair of opposing guards of inverted-U form arranged in avertical plane, and means for yieldingly holding the plug in'its closedposition, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with the body of a steam-cooker having a verticalseam or joint, one of the members of said joint having a flanged wingwhich extends beyond the joint, of an upright tube or conduit providedon its rear side with a lip or flange which is interlocked with saidflanged wing, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with the body of a steam-cooker having a verticalseam or joint, one of the members of said joint having a flanged win gwhich extends beyond the joint, of an upright tube or conduit having itsmeeting longitudinal edges provided with engaging lips or flanges whichinterlock with said flanged wing, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination with the body of a steam-cooker having a verticalseam or joint and provided on one side of said joint with an externalvertical lip or flange, of an upright tube or conduit arranged to coversaid joint and provided on its rear side with a lip or flange whichinterlocks with the flange of the cooker-body, substantially as setforth.

8. I11 a steam-cooker, the combination of the body provided with a flatbottom having in its under side an annular groove forming asteam-chamber and a radial recess or depression leading from said grooveto the wall of the body, and a steam-vent tube extending along the sideof the cooker and provided at its lower end with an inward extensionwhich occupies said radial recess and opens into said annular groove,substantially as set forth.

9. The combination with the cooker-body and a steam or vent tubecommunicating with the upper portion thereof, of a valve case or chamberarranged at the junction of the cookei body and said steam-tube andprovided in its upper end with a passage, a flat vertically-movablevalve-plate applied to the upper side of said passage andhavingaguiderod, and guides for said guide-rod arranged above and below saidvalve-plate, substantially as set forth.

10. The combination with the cooker-body and a steam or vent tubeprovided at its upper end with an enlargement, of a valve case orchamber arranged in said el'ilargement, communicating at its lower endwith the cooker-chamber and provided in its closed upper end with anexit-passage, a verticallymovable valve-plate applied to the upper sideof said passage and provided on opposite sides of the latter withvertical guide-r0ds, and guides for said rods. arranged above and belowsaid valve plate, substantially as set forth.

11. A division-plate or diaphragm for a steam-cooker, consisting of adish-shaped member having an upwardly-extending marginal rim andprovided in its bottom with a steam passage or passages havingupwardlyextending guard rims or collars, and adjacent to the rim with.drain-openings the edges of which are substantially flush with the upperside of the bottom, substantially as set forth.

12. A division -plate or diaphragm for a steam-cooker, consisting of adish-shaped member having an upwardly-extending marginal rim andprovided in its bottom with a steam passage or passages havingupwardlyextending guard rims or collars, and adjacent to the rim withdrain-openin gs, each of said drain-openings having an inclineddeflecting lip which extends downwardly and outwardly from its inneredge, substantially as set forth.

lVitness my hand this 15th day of June, 1901.

ALEXANDER M. AMOS.

lVitncsses:

Tnno. L. Porr, EMMA M. GRAHAM.

ICC

